Kona and Saint Present the 2012 Supreme Operator

When we set out to design the 2012 Supreme Operator, we considered all of the many facets today’s downhill bike are exposed to. It has to be a bike that can attack the pressure, speed and precision needed to compete on the World Cup race circuit. At the same time, the bike also needs to be able to handle the unpredictability, improvisation and playfulness that comes with riding big nasty lines in the middle of nowhere.

To show the diversity of our 2012 Shimano Saint-equipped Supreme Operator, we figured the best way to show the incredible range of the bike was to document both extremes. Lucky for us, we have some of the most talented gravity riders on the planet to take us there.

Armed with the exacting standards of Shimano Saint components, coupled with a suspension platform that’s tough but light, plush but quick, and laterally stiffer than a skyscraper in a windstorm, we start our adventure where clocks and race tape rule the roost.

Mitch Delfs in Leogang, Austria. Photo: Ale Di Lullo

We end up where no one is watching, save the ravens.

Aggy and Sherrard. Photo: Blake Jorgenson

To World Cup stops in Leogang, Austria, and Fort William, Scotland with Kona Team Rider Mitch Delfs railing muddy, rider beaten courses full of technical turns, roots and rock drops, where the Supreme Operator turns gnarl into flow.

Sherrard sending roost. Photo: Blake Jorgenson

Then jump on a plane then a truck and some quads to a helicopter and we find ourselves deep in the rugged wilderness of BC’s Chilcotin Mountains. Kona Team rider Graham Agassiz and Grassroots rider Dylan Sherrard take the Supreme Operator (and themselves) to the edge on the steep, shale and rock ridden big mountain faces on some of the sketchiest lines this side of burlville.

Aggy and Sherrard into the big white. Photo: Blake Jorgenson

It all comes out golden. Quite “saintly” actually. The 2012 Saint-equipped Supreme Operator. From big races to big mountains, one bike to rule them all.

riding a different company doesnt make you a hater, just screaming "KONA IT WILL SNAP" despite never having ridden one is hating. i mean mym cowan has snapped twice but that was my doing and i'm surprised it's lasted as long as it did.

probalby gonna get a lot of neg props but i dont care that last shot of the linkage looked like crap, and Saint is becoming out of date i think its kinda foolish of kona to do all the components with it. just my opinion.

i have an 07 coilair delux that i beat the snot out of and its still solid. I think all the people who hate konas have never ridden one cuzz if they had, they would find out that they are just as good as any other bike on the market.

@views that is true but if you go and huck 20ft and bottom out massively and dont hang of the back enough, most modern frames would go "qqhhhEEEHHccchh" sooner or later. sorry if i didnt make my point clear

Had a Kona my self along with the large majority of other local riders in my area, like every one we all had a Kona once. When I went other too A specialized I became a complete kona hater down too the shoddy state i'd seen frame reduced too after comparing it with the standard my specialized up held, its seems nearly all of the Kona hard core bike range from 2007 till now went serioulys down the pan think of how many kona bikes from that area you see broken on here ! the new operator on the other hand looks like it could be a major turn in the Companys rescent track recornd ! aint seen a dinged one yet !

Never ridden one as I didn't get the chance but if you search a little on the web you can find several snapped frame pictures of pretty much every model of every brand. Are they all shit? I don't think so. Anyway, Aggy has been sending unreal stuff on them, more than you ever will in your wildest dreams and he doesn't seem to complain.

I have a kona hoss deluxe from '03, on which i have been riding my local Freeride and downhill trails up to may 2010 (when i got my new bike) and i even took it to bikeparks on several occasions and it has'nt snapped yet (it only has a tiny dent in the top tube but thats not from riding it)

Maybe kona is trying to drop some weight. All I know is my brother has been rocking Konas for about 6 years and he always pulls the marzocchis off and throws on a RockShox Domain. He's not worried about weight, but the adjustability and reliability, not to mention cheap repairs and simple maintenance, are what keep him going back to RS.

jj-the-scott, I have heard they have been great lately, am not so sure about the light part. I know the 66 weighs even more than the Domain and boxxer. But I haven't looked much at the others. Also the rear shock the Rocco Air seems to perform pretty well, but is super expensive to have rebuilt and get bushings for and Mars is not a great company to have to deal with based on my experience. For example, I sent my fox rp23 back to fox since the propedal lever literally did nothing. The next day my brother sent his rocco air in for a rebuild. Both shocks got a rebuild in the end, but mine took 2 weeks, his took 2.5 months. Even if the performance is good that kinda thing can bring a company down.

Good friend only weighs 60kg snapped the headtube of his stab after 1 year. Not hucking, just keeping it low. Hopefully the operater is better, but know 5 broken frames in the last year. Good warrenty!!! Everybody got a new one!

Kona haters? how is there such a thing. I admire Kona's, their are kind of like that fat kid in PE who tries really hard at every sport but sucks until they put him at prop in rugby or the defensive line for al you yanks (i think) and then excels.Plus what an awesome video, regardless of what bike company

Kinda hard for me to talk badly about a company that invests so much of it's money into creating bike parks. Maby u havent heard of the kona groove approved program maby u have. I dont see specialized, giant or trek forking out money to build trails and they are the biggest companys. Kona bikes might not be the most desirable on the market but are still nice bikes. At the end of the day everyone should at least give those guys props for making mtb what it is today. As I remember it was the og stinky that kinda started the freeride craze oh and the Cowan was the first short travel jump bike. So we can all thank kona getting the other company's to open there eyes and start making other cool bikes

Not a whole lot of info in the advert on what changes have been made or what is actually going on in terms of suspension, angles etc that would make their product superior. The video was a lot of fun but in terms of describing the product didn't do much. I wish companies would stop telling me their product will make me piss lightning, conquer the free world and set all land speed records and have enough respect to tell me how or why in a realistic way. Realistically Aggy, Delfs and Sherrard could put together a video of them whipping Pink Tinkerbell themed walmart bikes in a way that would elicit at least six drops of WTF incontinance. I love watching that but am not foolish enough to believe I could do similar if I had a similar product. Rather, just tell me the advantages, novelty etc. of the product please.

^^^^"Realistically Aggy, Delfs and Sherrard could put together a video of them whipping Pink Tinkerbell themed walmart bikes in a way that would elicit at least six drops of WTF incontinance" Best mental picture ever. Just think about it for a second.

I agree that when it's all bling and no content it kind of makes you wonder what's the point of all this really. On the other hand, it seems that when most companies focus on "content" it all becomes a game of bullshit marketing that no one really buys anyway

- Best linkage system ever (insert cool acronym)!- Best funky rear shock system!- Best geo on the market!

All with endless explanations (with hardly ever enough data to back it) trying to prove that they reinvented the wheel but in the end it doesn't add much, if anything to the riding.

Sometimes, just guys having fun with their bikes says more than anything else.

Thank you PLC07, that's what we're going for here. If you want to find out more about our bike, we have tons of info available. Our dealers are all super savvy with the Operator, not to mention there are tons of independent reviews online. This is purely a piece to get people stoked on riding and show the world the range of intended use we used to direct the design philosophy behind the Operator platform. You can check out all the detailed specs and geo of the bike here: www.konaworld.com/gravity_dual_suspension.cfm?content=supreme_operator

I can agree with that. I personally would have prefered a bit of a mix of jaw drop media and practical descriptions. It's not a shot at Kona at all (I think Kona has one of the better websites for describing their bikes). It was just kind of a bit of frustration at bike marketing in general. Hype is fun and I want to see these guys ripping and showing me all that these bikes are capable of but coupled with information on what that looks like for me and why. Some of us do care about frame geometry, specs, and technical features and have spent enough time on a bike to notice that. Is there a happy medium? (For example: www.pinkbike.com/video/75195) If I'm going to spend that kind of money on a bike, I'd like to know what I'm getting and how that differs from what I'm not getting... as subtle as that often is. By the way, I did go to the website after watching the video to check out the specifics on the bike so in that regard the ad worked for this impressionable not-so-youth.

"One bike to rule them all." Whatever, I find it funny that these bike companies come out with a new bike the shoot a video with the some of the best riders in the world and basically say look what these guys can do with our new bike because it's better than anything else out there. As if we are such cultural zombies to believe such a thing. What they should do is take total noobs and see if those guys can impress with the bike ;-)

i like joe smith's operator vid from last season. video was better IMO. haven't ridden a Kona so i won't go yay or nay, but i am stoked for my v10 lord of the rings reference was prime, but does the bike turn you invisible?

Love my 2011 Operator FR. A little disappointed that they turned it into the Entourage for 2012 and left it an orphan - but it's a great little bike. I've crashed and bashed it a fair amount this season (my first in a bike park) and it's held up awesome, very impressed.

My Dawg I have thrashed for three seasons now, that bike's taken some huge offs and is still rolling strong.

The way some of these people talk, you'd think that Konas were the only frames that ever break. I'd only have to look as far as my friend's garage and his trashed Giant and Jamis frames to know that ain't the case ...

still always the rider....and a patiently set up bike...as you evolve in your riding, you know , different angles, ride heights, tires and pressures,...combine them and like magic, your bike rides like a dream

What is new, besides the hype? Flashy videos don't cut it because we want the real lowdown before our "not grown on trees" liquids start to flow in your general direction. I used to sell Kona Bikes. For the love of Kona, tell us what you have done to these contraptions since 2011. Thank you.

i dont really like konas even tho ive got one. but i have to say the 2012 range looks pretty damn sweet! the operators look awsome and ive heard quite alot about how quiet they are when riding the ruff stuff. i would consider getting one!

Personally I think this bike is lame. It is just a modified single pivot (out of date). It also has a crazy seat post angle, and a funky looking fame that just looks weak. It also looks like it has a beer gut for some reason. I'm sure it rides just fine, but there are many other options that would ride better for the same (or better) price. Gota say the video and pictures are pretty sweet though.

yeah, where did that torque arm go... Mine still works fine, even after 5 years of hard riding! My Garbanzo Delux might not win beauty contests but it always comes back home in one peice and begs for more.

Congrats! You're yet ANOTHER idiot judging bikes (in general, not just Kona ones) by their looks and nothing else. I was a bit bored by the comments here, no Kona haters with invalid arguments like usual but jeez, stupidos like you are the best! Hehe, don't get me wrong, you're still an idiot but i laughed so hard when i read your comment, you made my day! Definitely!

wow man, chill out. Not sure here, but I'm pretty sure we still live in a free country that allows us to give our opinions freely. And as far as haters, your the only one so far doing the hating. Just go easy on teh stupid buton there champ. Now for some coffee eh...

kaijumps , the kona system may look like treks ( if you have poor eye sight or do the typical forum thing of having one quick look and making judgment call ) but if you look into it it is actually quite different.